The Minnesota Twins traded infielder Luis Arraez, who won the American League batting title in 2022, to the Miami Marlins for starting pitcher Pablo Lopez and two others on Friday.
The Marlins also sent shortstop Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio to Minnesota.
Arraez, 25, is the first reigning batting champion to be traded since the Twins sent Rod Carew to the Angels following the 1978 season, in which he hit .333 and won his seventh batting title.
Marlins general manager Kim Ng said on a conference call with reporters that Jazz Chisolm Jr. — who is coming off his first All-Star nod in his third major league season — will move from second base to center field this season. Arraez will be the Marlins’ everyday second baseman.
Arraez played in 144 games in 2022, his fourth season with the Twins. He batted .316 with 173 hits, including 31 doubles, eight home runs and 49 RBIs. He walked 50 times and struck out just 43, and he also was named to his first All-Star team.
In 389 games in Minnesota, Arraez hit .314 with 14 home runs, 132 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .374.
He was the only arbitration-eligible player whom the Twins failed to reach an agreement with before the deadline last week. Still, he will be under team control with the Marlins until 2026.
Lopez, however, agreed to a one-year, $5.45 million contract to avoid arbitration.
In 2022, Lopez was 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA in 32 starts, reaching career highs in innings pitched (180) and strikeouts (174). In five seasons with the Marlins, Lopez, 26, is 28-31 in 94 games (all starts) with a 3.94 ERA in 510 innings.
Salas, 19, was listed by MLB.com as the No. 5 prospect in the Miami system. In 109 games split between Class-A clubs Jupiter and Beloit, he batted .250 with nine homers, 41 RBIs, 33 stolen bases and a .723 OPS.
Chourio, 17, played 51 games in the Dominican Summer League in 2022. He hit .344 with one home run and 23 RBIs and 19 stolen bases, registering a .838 OPS.
–Field Level Media
